Hyderabad hopes for a protected planet

18 October 2012 | News story

Protected areas both on land and in the sea are a hot topic here at the Biodiversity talks in Hyderabad. We ask Trevor Sandwith, Head of IUCN’s Global Protected Areas Programme, to explain what they are and why they are so important.

What benefits do those areas bring to local communities and to people living outside of their range?

How can local people get involved in managing protected areas?

One of the targets discussed at the meeting in Hyderabad says that “by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, [...] are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas”. What does it actually mean to "effectively and equitably" manage these areas?

Are the talks here in Hyderabad advancing in a promising direction for protected areas?